56 Days and counting

Well, some of you may have missed my witty retorts on the forum, but on June 23 I began a lengthy (and continuing) hospital stay following surgery to repair a twist in my small intestine and also an appendix that burst as they were putting me on the operating table.

If you would like to read about my travails, here they are:

June 21 - Ambulance pickups me up and drops me at the local hospital as I have intense unrelenting pain in my abdomen. Doctors inject me with a laxative meant for opioid-induced constipation. It works and the large colon is cleared (whew!). (This was our 44th anniversery - sorry Dianne!)

June 23 - Wife drives me back to the hospital as the pain has returned by an order of magnitude. The emergency doctor orders a CT belly scan with contrast and it indicates that I have a kink in a portion of my small intestine.

The scan also shows I have an enlarged appendix but it is not critical (says the radiologist).

At this time I have become unconscious so the staff surgeon asks my Wife if he can operate - YES!!!! The surgeon opens me up and finds out that in addition to the kink in the intestine, my appendix has BURST!!!!! and has infected my belly with a c-diss infection (VERY BAD!). The surgeon meets with Wife in the waiting room and says the surgery went well. The c-diss infection will need intense treatment so expect the recovery to take a long time.

June 23 - 25 - I have absolutely no recollection of anything on these days as I became psychotic due to the general anesthesia and surgeon put me into an induced coma so I wouldn't tear the sutures apart from his surgical procedure.

June 26 - I finally awake to find my hands and feet restrained, a feeding tube down my esophagus and I am in the midst of a major psychotic episode. I will not let anyone near me as I am totally paranoid at this time (a known age related effect of general anesthesia). Later in the day my paranoia abates and they remove the hand restraints and feeding tube.

June 27 - July 12 - Laying in hospital bed. Unable to eat (lack of appetite) and unable to get out of bed.

July 13 -Transferred by ambulance to a local convalescent hospital.

July 14 - July 19 - Begin rehabilitation. Difficult to get out of bed even to stand. Food is unappetizing so I continue not eating much but what I do eat is stuck in my stomach and I my belly is swelling; painful and hard to the touch. Convalescent on-duty doctor on duty comes in, takes a look at my abdomen and says '911'.

July 20 - 22 - Back to the first hospital where the original surgeon orders a colon foley to clear out the large colon and he puts a gastric tube through my abdomenal wall into my stomach and they start feeding me through the tube.

July 23 - Today - Return to a convalescent hospital, receiving nearly two liters of liquid nourishment daily. Since my stomach is clearing what I put into it I begin eating light meals.

A physical therapist comes in the first day and gets me out of bed. I start walking in a walker (10 feet at a time) for the first couple of days.

Start to gain weight. I started out in June at ~#165. First weigh-in at the convalescent hospital had me at ~#142. I have gained about #5 and appetite is returning. I can now walk about 150 feet without stopping to catch my breath.

Hope to get out of here next week.

It is good to hear that you are on the road to recovery.

Missed you dear, glad to hear from you.

I will be praying for you.
I know..... I know.
*hugglestuffins*

Hooray for Miki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I truly hope you are at home next week Miki!!!! We have all missed you so very much, please get well very soon honey!!!!

Celia xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oh my word! I'm so glad you are recovering! And we did miss you greatly!

~ Liz

Sounds really nasty. Glad you're on the mend.

Elizabeth Lynn wrote:.... And we did miss you greatly!

~  Liz

,,, and I missed all of you and thanks for the warm get well wishes.

Miki

Dear Miki!

Are you home at last Miki? I hope you are doing well and you can enjoy being there with your family and doggie.

Celia xx

I was hoping to be home this coming Friday but the facilities' pharmacy doesn't stock the food I need to put into my feeding tube so it looks like Saturday at the earliest or Monday.

Hi Miki!

Well, I hope it is Saturday for you, but whichever, that it comes very, very quickly for you, even if it is Monday. I do so feel for you having to have spent so much time there. It will be something wonderful for you, I am sure, to be at last in your own home. You are wonderful Miki!

Celia xx